Engine starter gearing



July Z7, 1943. B. W. JONES 2,325,518

ENGINE STARTER GEARING Filed may 12, 1942 Patented July 27, 1943 Burr WQJois; Elmira Heights, N. Y., assignorgo Bendix Aviation Corporation, YSouth Bend, Ind.;

a corporation of Delaware Application May'l i2, 1942,seia1 No. 442,591'

, s claims. The present invention relatesY to engine starter gearing and more particularly to that typein which a motor-driven pinion is manually. op'erable into and out of engagement with a meni- -ber of an enigne to be started. V- i In manually shiftable starterY gearingof the type which includes an voverrunning connection for allowing the pinion to run ahead ofthe starting motor whenV the, engine starts, .considerable difficulty has been encountered in providing such structure which Willdrive reliably Without slippingyand overrun Without sticking.

VIt is an objectof the'present invention to'pro'- vide a v novelmanually shiftablel starter. gear Which'is eicient and reliable in operation,`.small in size and economical in construction;

-It is another objectto providefsuch a device including an overrunning 4clutch engaging'directly-With the interior-of the drive pinion and n ioto'r to the clutch. whereby the iJinion'and clutoh'are free to overrun' and release theclutch when the engine starts'. 11i.

Further objects and advantages Willb'e apparent from the following description takenkin'` connection with the ao(":ompanyingl dravvir'igl@in Fig. l is a 'side' elevationpartly broken Aavvay rand in section showing a preferred" embodiment of the invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a similar. View"Showing the partstin cranking position; and 2 :i y Fig; 3` is a similar View showingtheipartslin l- Vthe positionsassumed incase-of tooth abutment between the pinioniand engine gear; 1

InV Fig. l there is illustrated a power shaftf l Which may be` theextended-armature:shaft 'of a starting motor not illustrated. The power i shaft is provided with a'smoothfreducedextene sion 2 providing a shoulderfir'andfa driving cam member 4 vis mounted on said smoothV portion with a thrustfian'ge 5 engaging the shoulder 3 of the shaft and one or more driving lugs 6 seated in slots'l in the power shaft and retained therein in any suitable mannerras indicated at 8.

A split clutch sleeve Sik is loosely mounted on the smooth portion 2 of power shaft l and is provided with bevelled surfaces Il,V l2, I3 and I4 inFigs. 2 and 3.

Vadapted yto be engaged by `wedge-shaped projections I5 and IGonl a pair of expander members Il and I8; respectively which are-also slid- .ably mounted on thepportionZ ofthe power shaft; A pinionmember I9isslidably journalled on .the'clutch sleeve 9, expander.membersV I5,l I8 and driving cam member 4. Thepinion mem ber comprises'a toothed portion 2land an extended sleeve portion 22 AWhichare rigidlyl connected together as by :meansrof linter-engaging projections k23, 24 held in engagement by a lock ring 25, lwhiol'i-is Ysecured in `position .by la thrust collar 26, having a `recess 21 closely surrounding the loolrring.V

Manually operable. .means 'are provided for 'thrustcollarl 26. The. shift collar :isf retained onthe pinion 'member bysuitablermeans such Vasia lock ring 34. Y

shift collar 3| is povidcifwitii inwardly'pro- `jeeting lugs- 35 .which pass through slots V3B in the pinionsleeveH-so`as=to splinethefshiit collar' to said-sleeve, andgbearfreelyonthe extension 2 of the-,power shaft. A thimble 3lis slidably journalled `on thensmooth` portion 2 of the povvershaft within, the pinion member lsleeve`22 and Vacts as a sltiacerbetween4 4t he vvedge-mevmber I8 and the lugs l35 of the shifrtcollar .asshown f Adjustable means such4 indicated at"3l is provided forlimitingthe; movementoi the shift lever 29 toward operative positiomfand it will beY 4understood that when the'shift lever.. is moved to thelimit of its travel as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a--switchj will be closed to; energize the startling. motor in 'accordance with conventional practice in v the manual'shift type :o f'. electrical start- 4ing apparatus.,

. According to vthe .present means responsive to Yrotation of thepower shaftare pro-- vided forcausing the Wedge members il and i8 to expandV4 the clutch sleeve 9 into gripping engagernent with the interior of the pinion member and transmit rotation thereto. As here shown, this function is accomplished by the formation of is wedged between theexpander members as;l y

shown in Fig. 2. l Y

In operation, starting with the `parts inthe positions illustrated in Fig. l, movement of theV shift lever 29 by the operatorlinthe direction of collar 3l, pinion member IS, and thimble 33 to CTL ber and for rotating the sleeve with the power shaft.

Vthe arrow causes the assembly including the shift Y slide longitudinally until the Atoothed portion 2|l A ofthe power shaftbythe starting motor which rotation is impartedvto the-driving' member 4.

Members il and I8 are thus caused to wedge the' clutch sleeve Sinto gripping engagement with the interior of the'pinion member and transmitrotation thereto.

When the engine starts, the acceleratie-noi the engine gear causes the pinion and its associated parts 'to-overrun the driving member 4, thus relieving the wedging action of the xpanderfmembers and permitting the clutch sleeve to contract and release the pinion member which thereupon overruns freely.V When the Soperator returns the shift lever 29 to idle position, the pinion member and associated parts are'withdrawn to their normal positions by means ofthe thrust ring 34 connecting the shiftcollarfSl to the pinion member.

i If, during the meshing movement of Vthe. pinion, tooth abutment should occur between the pinion andengine gear as illustrated in Fig. 3, thespring 33 is arranged vto yield? suiciently to permit the g shift-'lever "29tlo close the. starting'switch and actuatethe clutch, whereupon. rotation is trans,-VK

mitted to the'pinion to index it into `proper registry with the teeth of the engine gear. The-spring 3-3 then expands and snaps the pinion into mesh with the engine gear and the cranking operation proceeds as described. K Y. Y l

lAlthough but one embodiment ofthe invention has been shown and describedin detail, it will be understood that other embodiments are possible and that various changes in the" design and arrangement 'of theparts Vmay'be madewithout departing' from Y thev spirit- -of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. f` vWhat is claimed'is: f "e 1. In an engine starter la power shaft, a vdriving member xed thereon, "an expansible sleeve on VtheV power shaftja pinion memberslidably journalled on the driving memberf and sleeve, and means cooperatingwith the-driving member to rotate the sleeve and expand it into clutching engagement with thev interior of the pinionmember. 2. In an engine starter a powershaft, `a driving cam member fixed thereon, "an expansible sleeve on the power shaft, a pinion member slidably journalled on the cam member andA sleeve, manuelly operable shifting means for the pinion member, an abutment member movable thereby, and means movable by the cam member cooperating with the abutment member to expand the sleeve into clutching engagement with the interior of the pinion member and transmit rotation thereto.

3. In an engine starter a power shaft, a split clutch sleeve loosely mounted thereon, a pinion member slidably journalled onthe clutch sleeve, and means for expanding thersleeve into gripping engagement with the interior of the pinion memy 4. In an engine starter a power shaft, a split clutch sleeve loosely mounted thereon, a pinion member slidably journalled on the clutch sleeve,

'and means responsive .to rotation of the power shaftfor expanding the sleeve into gripping engagement with the interior of the pinion member and for rotating the sleeve with the power shaft, said means being arranged to release the clutch sleeve from the pinion when the pinion-overruns the-power shaft. v.

5. In an engine starter a power shaft, a split clutch sleeve loosely mounted thereon, a pinion member slidably journalled on the clutch sleeve, a pair of longitudinally movable expanding members for. the sleeve', manually operable abutment means forY one expander member, vand means re.- sponsive to rotation ofthe power shaft for actuating the other expander member. I

6. In an engine starter apowershaft, a split clutch sleeve loosely mountedthereon, a pinion member slidably journalled on the clutch sleeve, a pair of longitudinally movable expanding members for the sleeve, manually operable means-,for shifting the'pinion into engagement with a member of an engine tov be started, and providing an abutment-for one of the-.expanding members, and a cam member xed on the'power shaft for actuating and rotating the other expanding member.

7. In an engine starter drive a power shaft, a

. clutch member loosely mounted thereon, a pinion member slidablygjournalled on the power shaft, a

Vpair of members journalled on the power-shaft operative` by longitudinalmovement to actuate the clutch member topengagegand drive the pinion member, manually ,operable `means for shifting the pinion member into engagement with a member of .an engineto be started andprovidingan abutment for one of the clutch actuating members, and acam member xed on the power shaft for moving longitudinally and rotating the other clutch actuating member. l Y n 8. In an engine starter 'a power shaft, a pinion member, manually operable Vmeans for shifting thepinion memberlongitudinally into and out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, and an overrunning clutchdrive forthe pinion member including a split ,clutch sleeve A within the pinion member, an vabutment member held against 'one end of thel sleeve by the shifting member when theVv pin-ion is in operativeposition, a wedge member engaging the opposite end of the sleeve, andmeans responsive to rotation of Vthe power shaft for moving the wedge member to 

